‘So what? I have to walk past your place to get here. I do it every fucking day.’

‘I appreciate that, Mr Patel, but it would be remiss of me not to wonder if there’s a connection.’

‘That sounds like another fucking accusation, Detective. Is that the real reason you came here – to see if I had anything to do with it?’

James shook his head. ‘Not at all. I simply—’

Patel didn’t let him finish. ‘Get out of my house now. You’re just like the rest of the bastards in this place. I’m guessing you’ve been put up to it by someone who saw a chance to land me in the shit. Well, I’m not having it. If you want to talk to me again then give me notice and I’ll make sure I have a lawyer present.’

James knew he’d be wasting his time trying to reason with the man, so he put the card back down and walked along the hall to let himself out. The door was slammed shut behind him.

CHAPTER TWELVE

By the time Annie got home it was already dark. She’d spent longer with Janet Dyer than she’d expected to, as her friend had been angry and distraught, and had wanted a shoulder to cry on.

James was waiting for her and had made himself useful by peeling the potatoes for dinner and preparing the chicken so it was ready to roast.

He poured them each a glass of wine and they agreed that he would go first and tell Annie about his visit to Keith Patel’s house.

She narrowed her eyes when he mentioned the Christmas cards on the sideboard.

‘He was adamant that he didn’t deliver one to me,’ he said. ‘And it was impossible to tell if he was lying. He came across as angry rather than panicked.’

James then told Annie what Patel had said about Janet Dyer not arranging for another carer to check on his mother in the days following her fall down the stairs.

This was Annie’s cue to talk about her visit to Janet’s house.

‘She was upset because Charlie Jenkins gave her an earful when he went to see her this morning,’ she said. ‘To get her own back she phoned Sonia and told her she was lying when she denied sleeping with him. She admitted to having an affair with Charlie, and that she’d made the mistake of telling someone. And that someone just happened to be Daniel Curtis’s father, Ron. Mr Curtis was indiscreet and told one of his mates who then told someone else. It eventually got back to Sonia.’

The more James learned about the people of Kirkby Abbey, the more he was beginning to wonder if they had made a huge mistake by moving here.

The following hour or so was spent preparing dinner, drinking wine and trying to relax.

Annie knew that James wasn’t looking forward to playing host to her uncle, but he promised her he’d be on his best behaviour.